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Black spots in mobile phone coverage could be a thing of the past under a federal government scheme if Labor is re-elected.
The background: Telcos would be required to provide outdoor mobile coverage across all of Australia under laws to be introduced by Labor if it retains government at the upcoming election.
All outdoor areas of Australia would have mobile coverage by 2027 under the laws, with an extra five million square kilometres to gain service, including 37,000km of roads in regional areas.
A statement released by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland today said outdoor coverage will be accessible “almost anywhere where Australians can see the sky”.
The key quote: “The universal outdoor mobile obligation will improve public safety, increase resilience during natural disasters and provide an extra layer of coverage in areas previously thought too difficult or costly to reach.” — Communications Minister Michelle Rowland
What else to know: While Australia has previously had a universal service obligation for landlines and payphones, it has not extended to mobile phone coverage.
Laws setting up the requirement would be introduced to parliament later in 2025, with the mobile obligation to focus at first on SMS and phone calls. The universal service could be expanded to include mobile data in the future as technology improves.
